I didn’t know anyone on the plane when I got on my flight to Rome for my spring semester abroad. Naturally, I was excited, but there was also a small amount of worry behind that joy. I was leaving behind everything I knew to spend four months living in a strange nation, not knowing anybody or what to expect. In retrospect, those four months in Italy rank among the most life-changing events of my life.
I studied abroad at the American University of Rome through a Rowan University exchange program. The moment I arrived, everything felt new: new streets, new food, new language, new rhythm of life. At first, it was overwhelming. It wasn’t until I lost my little, accustomed routines that I realized how much comfort they provided. But gradually, I started constructing a new “home” in Rome. I made friends who soon became like family, discovered my favorite cafĂ© close to the university, and learned how to navigate the city.
One day after class, I got totally lost, which was one of my first lessons in freedom. My phone was dead, my IPad was dead, my computer was dead, I didn’t have a map, I didn’t know Italian, and I didn’t know my way around the city yet. Panic struck at first, but then I saw that this was my chance to solve the problem. After what seemed like hours, I eventually returned by asking locals for directions and following familiar landmarks. I realized then that I was more capable than I had previously believed.
The sense that everything was novel during my time overseas is what I miss the most. Whether it was catching the bus to a new area of Rome or flying to another nation for the weekend, every day was an adventure. Those experiences were made much more memorable by traveling with friends, who taught me that independence doesn’t mean being alone but having confidence in oneself wherever one goes.
My best advice for anyone considering studying abroad is straightforward: go for it. Trust that it will be one of the finest choices you ever make, overcome your fear, and follow your heart. You will return with lifelong memories, friendships, and life-changing insights, but most significantly, you will return with a deeper understanding of who you are.